


The Last Call of the Lost - descent

by Ikajo



Series: The Last Call of the Lost [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Gen, High Fantasy, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:22:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22531663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ikajo/pseuds/Ikajo
Summary: A world of corruption, power and division. With everything from slavery to poverty. Entitled kings and those with mysterious power. A world ripe for a hero. The hero foretold in a prophecy. One who will change the world. But the one they place their hopes on might not be who he seemsto be.Besides, who decided that the powerto change the world was a good thing?
Series: The Last Call of the Lost [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621090
Comments: 15
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original work and is best read as one would a normal book or novel. As such I welcome all opinions, good and bad, but ask that you don't give suggestions or offer ideas. You are welcome to share this story, as long as you link back to my original post. In the same way you are allowed to post excerpts from this story, if you also provide a link. 
> 
> Please do not write fanfiction of this story. It is a work in progress and I don't want to risk confusion. Making fanart is completely okay. You don't even have to link me the pictures. Just, again, please direct anyone towards my story. 
> 
> I hope you will enjoy this story and I would appreciate you leaving a comment with your thoughts and opinions.

The visit came late one autumn afternoon. A grey, overcast sky greeted the men as they knocked on the heavy wooden doors. From his room the boy heard the murmur of voices. He ignored them, focusing on the carving knife currently gutting the piece of wood in his hand. It wasn't unusual for his father to have guests over. Their family was fairly wealthy and oversaw several fields nearby. Since it was in the middle of harvest he assumed the visitors were buyers, intending to send crops to the big cities.  
After a while the voices stopped and his father called for him. Dutifully the boy stood, sheathed his knife a placed the piece of wood on his desk. Trotting down the stairs he paused before entering the sitting room calmly. Now he could see that the men were Ra'Asha. Light weavers. They were rarely seen outside of their grand palace situated in the grand city of Mashara. Sometimes they would leave on a mission of importance or travel to find a young boy or girl with great talent. Or any talent. According to the tutors the ability to weave light was declining and the Ra'Asha were desperate for new disciples to teach their art.  
“This is my son”, Father announced to the men. “Asha. Son, come closer so they may look at you.”  
“Yes Father”, Asha said obediently. As he allowed the men to study him his attention were brought elsewhere. A faint buzzing. Turning his head slightly he noticed a fly by the window. It was fat and heavy, bumping into the glass repeatedly. Stuck. Falling prey to oncoming winter. As he watched the insect faltered and landed on its back. Fluttering uselessly with its wings. All sounds faded around him as all his attention were drawn to dying struggles of the fly. Time seemed to slow down as he watched. Each twitch. Each buzz. Asha knew he ought to feel pity or disgust for the thing. Perhaps a desire to put it out of its misery. But as it so often were for him, that's wasn't the emotion burning in his veins as the fly's struggle grew more desperate. More urgent and weak. Even as the movement tapered off the surge remained.   
The excitement. The pleasure. A burning desire to see more. Drag things out. Tormenting.  
“Asha? Are you listening?” His concentration broke as his father spoke to him. Farash wasn't a harsh man but he had little patience for small boys with wandering minds.  
“I'm sorry, Father. I thought I saw something in the woods”, he lied. “Maybe it was one of the Ja'are?”  
“Don't speak nonsense, son. The Ja'are are put to work in the cities. Why would one run around freely in the countryside?”  
“I'm sorry.” He wasn't but knew what to say to placate the elderly man. Having a young son despite being past fifty was clearly straining for the man. His slightly younger wife had not expected to ever fall pregnant either. Yet here he was.  
“Now listen Asha. These men want to train you in their arts. They believe you might have talent.”  
“I for one is convinced”, the shorter of the two strangers said. He was a bit round and was wearing a dirty pale purple robe. Thinning red hair clashed with his clothing. “I can practically feel the power underneath your son's skin.”  
“Indeed”, the taller of the two said. This man was thin and clearly very old. Beardless he was wispy and looked like a single shove may shatter him. His bones strained against his skin. “It rests, waiting for the opportunity to be used. And it will, one way or another. Goodman Farash, it is in the boy’s best interest to come with us. To learn.”  
“It is bad luck to travel during the winter months”, Farash said. “Surely it can wait till spring?”  
“I don't think you understand. Your son has the potential of becoming very powerful. Without training that same power could cause a lot of damage if it got out of control. Maybe destroying your whole estate. He needs training.”  
Asha watched his father deflate. He knew he should have felt worried or concerned but he simply couldn't concentrate. Eyes constantly drawn back to the windowsill. To his disappointment the fly was now motionless. Dead. Without protest he returned upstairs to his room. Packing a light bag to bring with him. Light weaving was the ability to change the world. Shape it to suit you. At least, that was what his tutors had told him. Now, he would have the chance to find out for himself.  
Hiding a grin as he followed the two Ra'Asha out the door he couldn't deny he was very excited about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide: 
> 
> Asha = a-SHA Ra'Asha = RAH-a-SHA Mashara = MA-sha-Rah Farash = FAH-rash Ja'are = JA-arÉ 
> 
> Rolling R is a rule.


	2. The Palace of Light

The capital city of Mashara was a collection of enormous houses, mansions and palaces. It had been built of the back of the Ja'are, a humanoid species that had been forced into slavery centuries ago. Many viewed them as just above animals, stating that the unnatural hues of their skin made them beasts. Too intelligent to be animals. Too human to be human.  
Asha looked out of his window on the fifth floor of the Palace of Light. He had left behind his boyhood and was becoming a man. Today he would pass his test and move from being a disciple to an acolyte. That he would pass was something he took for granted. Among all who were currently in training he was both the strongest and most skilled practitioner. Many of his teacher were placing high hopes on him. It was the ones who didn't that had caused his delay. As an acolyte he would be sent on missions and be given jobs. No more learning through books and dusty old men.  
There were few women among the Ra'Asha. Not because women lacked the ability but because parents were more reluctant to let their daughters leave. Often viewing the girl as property rather than a person. Not too different from how people treated the Ja'are. Of course, in the great cities it was different. Any child who showed an ability of Light weaving was sent to the Palace in hopes they would learn. It was as always the ignorant who were the most small-minded as well.  
This didn't bother Asha. It didn't affect him after all. He turned from his window and looked into the mirror. While he was far from vain he was expected to show a fair amount of interest in his appearance. Especially today. He was tall. A good head taller than most men. His hair was black like a raven's feather. Shimmering in the light. Dark, grey eyes and the pale complexion of someone who rarely see sunlight. Had he been allowed outside more his skin would have been a healthy colour and less wandering corpse. Something he intended to see to once he was an acolyte.   
His grey robe was non-descript and looked just like all the other disciples with no ornament. It had always struck him as odd, how any student was made to conform to an ideal of interchangeability. Like the individual was not as important as the collective. Yet once you reached the status of master you were supposed to become unique. At least it made more sense among the Ra'Asha. Not everyone had the aptitude for Light weaving. Arrogance could be dangerous when you started to learn. By making the disciples accept their part in the collection they became malleable enough to learn. The arrogance then needed to actually wield the powers effortlessly came as an acolyte. Where your skills were challenged. Sharpened.  
The expected knock came on his door.  
“Asha”, Rudagar called. “It is time.” The years since the man showed up at his father's oversized farm house had not been kind to him. He had gone from round to fat and the thin hair was all but gone. His one real talent was finding others with the ability and now he was too lazy to do even that. At least master Catha had a reason since he was so old he could no longer walk unaided.  
No one knew Asha had helped the old goat along by secretly damaging his chair. That had been a hilarious moment. All the masters sitting at the high table, looking down on young, terrified children. It had been the work of a falling stone to weave Light, causing the chair to give away. Master Catha had not broken anything, unfortunately, but had been forced to be carried everywhere since. No one suspected the boy who had been in the Palace for less than a month. In his opinion he had done the man a favour.  
“Asha!” Rudagar repeated. He was one of those who had come to dislike his student. Not because he was rude to his teacher, no he never was, but because he was clearly more talented than them. Keeping quiet he looked in the mirror one last time and joined the fat man. Today, things would change.

XXC 

  
This late in the summer the sun was beating down on the streets. Ithial watched from the shadows as his people were forced to perform menial labour for the humans. Their dark grey skin drawing the heat. There would be no water for the men and women until they were finished. All of them wore tired and defeated expressions. Even though a large amount of them had been born a slave they all knew they were not meant to be beasts of burden for the cruel humans. He had been lucky. His mother had managed to escape and reach one of the resistance groups, deep in the forests. There she had met his father and Ithial had been born. When the humans learned of the Ja'are hiding in the forest, they burned it down. He had escaped. His parents had not.  
Head pounding he squinted against the bright light. It wasn't that they were nocturnal but they were adapted to the shadows of huge trees. Not open streets. He had to be careful. If he was spotted he would be one of those slaves before the day was over. Bound by a Ra'Asha since he was “wild”. The worst that could happen was if they placed him in the pens. That happened sometimes when they caught one of those not yet chained. If that happened he would be heavily drugged. Drugs that would cause him to become crazed with the desire to mate. He'd rather slave under the son than father more poor souls into this nightmarish life.  
Shaking himself he reminded himself he had a mission. To free as many of his people as possible. One day they would perhaps be strong enough to overthrow their taskmasters. A group of six Ja'are passed by his spot. Not a single human in sight. They had gone pass before, carrying heavy burdens. He waited, they were laden with boards and tools. As they returned emptyhanded, he hissed.  
“ _Djaa acha icthal_ ”, catching their attention. They looked around, spotted him, checked their surroundings once more before replying.  
“ _Icthal rghaa_ ”, one elder said. “Are you a liberator?” She had the usual lilt their kind carried in their speak. Their own tongue being guttural sounded deep in the throat made speaking the common tongue difficult.   
“I am”, he said. Ithial had trained himself to sound less guttural when speaking. To avoid detection. “I can take some now.”  
“Take the younglings”, the elder said, gesturing to two youths. “We are no use and can hide their escape.”  
“ _Rrra ngk_. Hurry.” Thankfully the youths didn't ask questions, they broke off from the group and followed him. Freedom were harsh but at least they would be no man's property any longer.

XXC 

Like he had expected he passed his test easily. No jealousy could hold him back this time. He took of the grey robes and put on an equally non-descript brown. This was a bit confusing. Asha had seen other acolytes and they usually wore unique colours and designs.  
“Your first duty is to visit the Temple”, master Catha informed him. “All new acolytes make this journey. You can go immediately.”  
“I will. Thank you, master.” Bowing he left the men muttering to themselves. The Temple. It was said that each housed a large crystal. Within secrets were hidden and the priesthood dedicated their lives in order to understand them. The one in Mashara was supposedly the largest in the world.  
Moving through the bustling streets Asha amused himself by observing the signs of misery under the surface. A beggar in a corner, a prostitute in another. Both hiding from the patrols as their activities was against the law. The king was foolish to think he could outlaw poverty but it was entertaining to watch. Then of course there were the slaves. While the Ja'are were the most numerous they were not the only ones. Unlike the ashen creatures anyone holding a human as slave had to do so in secret. Not that it stopped anyone.  
Had Asha been a full master of at least wearing the proper clothing of a Ra'Asha the throng would have parted for him. As it was, he had to accept the jostling. Finally, he reached the Temple. A large building that towered over the streets. Unlike the king's great palace or the Palace of Light it was square. Tall and imposing but its purpose very, very different. As he entered through the gigantic gates a priest hurried forward to greet him.  
“An acolyte of Light, yes?” he said. “Good, yes. Come this way.”  
Most of the space inside was occupied by a floating stone. It was huge and translucent. Light shone from the inside, casting shadowed words on the walls.  
“ _Daneer di asha rahir_ ”, Asha muttered. “The Crystal of Light.”  
“The correct translation is The Crystal of Holy Light”, the priest said. His voice simpering and whiney. Without thinking he motioned with his hand and caused the fool to trip and fall flat on his face. Faking concern he bent down, roaring with laughter on the inside. The man had smashed his nose against the stone and blood was flowing freely. Other priests hurried forward, quickly carting the man away. It was bad luck to have blood near the Crystal. Oops? Another man of the clergy hurried to him and started leading him away, towards the centre. Glancing at the shadows Asha tried to discern what they were saying. The priest noticed his interest.  
“Do they bother you Fa’Ra’Asha?” he said.  
“Not at all. I’m simply curious as to what they are. Words, I think. But beyond that?”  
“Yes… most of them are part of a prophecy that appeared a few hundred years ago.”  
“Prophecy? What kind of prophecy?”  
“Kind…” the priest shook his head. “Fa’Ra’Asha, there are not special kind of prophecy. Either there is one or there isn’t. That’s all.”  
“Very well. What does this one says?”  
“That one day a Weaver of Light will appear. One of extraordinary power and talent. The earth shall tremble at his steps and humanity shall fall down on its knees in awe. With his power the Light Weaver will forever change the world as we know it.”  
“That’s a big prophecy.”  
“It is”, the clergy man chuckled, obviously relieved to deal with someone who took the prophecy calmly. “Your brethren are of course very excited about it and every new child they find fills them with hope.”  
“Hmm… interesting.”  
“Interesting? Why do you say such thing?”  
“You all assume that the prophecy is a promise rather than a warning.” Asha smirked slightly as the man laughed nervously. “But I’m sure you in the priesthood wouldn’t be mistaken about such a thing. I am after all a simple acolyte. Now, why am I here?”  
“You are to bathe in the Light Pool, it is located underneath the Crystal. That’s where you will be marked. Think of it as a purifying ritual.”  
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Descending a narrow flight of stairs he was soon left alone in a large chamber. There was indeed a pool filled with what looked like liquid light. Undressing Asha then stepped down into the brilliance. Shedding his boyhood and becoming a man. It burned as he let the light swallow him in a maelstrom. Grinning he challenged it. Is that all you got? For a moment the swirling maelstrom stopped and then it rushed him, seeping through his skin. His power had always been strong. Wild. Now he could feel it solidify within him. Become stronger, steadier. Instead of fighting the sensations overwhelming him he let himself be drowned in them. Still challenging the Light that seemed to try to kill him. When it stilled, he stood at the edge of the pool. His skin no longer had that unhealthy pallor he had become used to. It was not a healthy colour. He was still naked; a glow was emitting from his body. A group of three, women from the looks of it, hurried forward and for some reason through white cloth into the Pool of Light. One of them recoiled when they tried to retrieve it, hissing in pain. Shrugging Asha pulled the cloth from the pool for them. To his surprise the cloth was no longer white. Nor was it just a piece of cloth. It was clothing. Black with blue trimmings.  
His clothes. The robes of an acolyte. Not that they were the usual kind of robes. Black trousers and a black tunic were the basic. On top of that were something that looked more like a coat. It went down to his calf and was open in the front. Held together by two sets of bands crossing his chest. Waving his hand he created a mirror image of himself. Studying the overall result he could see his attire made him look imposing. The fabric wasn’t merely black. It swallowed light. Only the blue trimmings broke the intense darkness. Especially since he no longer glowed. Glancing at the women he noticed that they had not moved from their positions. Covering in fear. In a few swift strides he reached the nearest woman and tore her hood from her face. As he had suspected the ashen face of a Ja’are met his own. He grinned. Not even the supposed Temple of Light was above using slaves. Hypocrisy at its finest. Gently he lifted her hood again and blinked at her.  
“Our little secret, hmm?” he said. She nodded desperately. As did the other two. Chuckling to himself he started his way up the stairs. Life was becoming far more fun, that was for sure.

XXC

That night there was a feast in honour of the newest acolyte. Catha had no doubt the young man would rise to master within only a couple of years. Already he Weaved Light with an ease no one had ever seen. Without the restrictions of a disciple there was no saying how far he might go. Asha was the first to pass the test in five years and judging by his performance he had been ready for far longer than that. The only thing holding him back being his youth. Raising his goblet the Fa’Ra’Asha – Young Weaver of Light – called for a drink in honour of the masters. He was a charming one, that was for sure. A bit manipulative but that wasn’t uncommon among the Weavers. You couldn’t teach someone to bend reality and not expect them to develop a certain amount of arrogance. Shifting his aching bones Catha longed for his warm bed. Ever since his lover had died twenty years prior he had become more reluctant in joining revelry. Attempts at finding a new lover had been unsuccessful. Mostly because no one had been able to fill that specific void. Combined with old age… well.  
Rudagar had no such scruples but he tended to find his bedmates outside of the Palace. As he had grown fatter and less agile he had been forced to rely on payment to convince anyone to share his bed. Most Ra’Asha choose lovers from within the Brotherhood. It was considered easier since your lover would understand your circumstances better. Marriage wasn’t allowed but there were no rules against having female lovers. Some encouraged it with the notion it would make their ranks grow but no one knew how the ability manifested.  
“My fellow acolytes, my masters and all you disciples I leave behind today”, Asha said as he stood. “Let us greet the Light that we guide and that guides us! For the Light!”  
“For the Light!” the assemble cried and downed their drinks. It was proper. It was tradition. Closing his eyes Catha just felt so tired. Surely no one would notice is he just could nap for a second or so. Old age was really a curse.

XXC

So he had helped the old fool along. His body had already been on the brink of giving up. The light in his core had flickered so much it was a miracle the master had not already died. Not even glancing at Catha he crushed the few remnants of light. To most it probably looked the man had fallen asleep. Not realising that the thin chest no longer moved. He let the feast reach its peak before he turned to the corpse.  
“Master Catha, do you have any words of wisdom to share with me this day?” Asha said. Rudagar rudely elbowed the husk and jumped when it slumped over, hitting the table with a low thump. Immediately the masters were on their feet and trying to help the old master. Of course, there was nothing they could do. The man was dead. Chaos erupted. People were so superstitious. It was a corpse, not a monster. Still, he played his part. After all, this was his day of ascension. No reason to give cause to suspicion. Internally he savoured the pain and fear painted on the young faces. Boys rushing to the pots to throw up noisily and older acolytes studying their wine worriedly. They had no reason to. An old man had succumbed to his age and died. Simple as that. There was no way anyone could know he had some help along the way.  
Asha kept a straight face until he reached his new rooms. Alone and without noisy neighbours he allowed himself to break out in open laughter. There was just something so satisfactory about watching them all squirm. With his new freedom he would have many more opportunities to indulge in his darker desires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide
> 
> Rudagar = Ru-da-gar  
> Catha = Kah-thha  
> Ithial = ith-IAL  
> Fa'Ra'Asha = FAH-RAH-ashA


	3. Monsters

The king was holding another party. Causing the high born to celebrate amd the low born to become resentful. And when humans were angry, they took it out on someone else. Ithial hated seeing his people suffer. It was getting harder and harder to help them. Often they had been bound using Light Weaving. He was not giving up, however. Even if his people was starting to. Escape meant little to someone who longed for the simple comfort of a dry bed and daily meals. At least it was raining this day. That made things easier. No one looked twice at him as he scurried in the alleys, mugging pass out drunks. Humans understood money. Passing a simple stone house his sensitive nose picked up familiar stench and he gagged.  
A breeding pen. Siding up to a small window he looked inside. Men and women were milling around naked, their ashen bodies soft with coils of fat. He knew how they worked. Drugs, yes. But they also drew on the prospect of comfort. Plenty of food, no need to work hard and all they had to do was give in to their baser instinct. It worked particularly well on those born into slavery and had been conditioned to view it as natural. Those born in pens like this one was at least allowed their parents for their early years. Not that it did them any good.  
With disgust Ithial noted that the women had coloured dust on their bodies, matching the dust from pouches born by the men. Animals indeed. A similar practice was used among livestock. Not wanting to see anymore he straightened and came eye to eye with a human. The man was scruffy looking, his trousers pooled around his ankles. Not realising Ithial was Ja'are the man blinked and said:  
“Quite the little show, eh? For free as well.”  
“ _Khatc_ ”, he hissed at the human and stormed away. If he was captured it would be over.

XXC 

The party was in full swing with ale flowing and wine running. And it was boring. High born drunkards who had never worked in their life harassing women while tormenting beasts of different kinds. As Asha watched a group of Ja'are received blows and things were thrown at them. Despite this they didn't even flinch. Compared to the abuse they faced daily this was probably nothing. He couldn't understand the enjoyment of inflicting pain on someone who no longer cared. Maybe if the other person enjoyed pain but this was just a waste of time.  
“This is barbaric “, Janar muttered, adjusting her dress. She was one of the very few female acolytes. Her ability was decent but she was headstrong and tended to antagonize the masters. Who were all men. Meaning Asha loved watching them clash. Often helping her pull one over them. In exchange she didn't say anything about him sneaking out.  
“Wasteful”, he said, sipping his brandy. “I bet none of these fools could take what they hand out.”  
“Too bad we can't find out.”  
“Says who? Just bend reality.”  
“We are not supposed to...”  
“Bah. They say one thing but then they go on that very thing themselves. You know that.”  
Janar bit her lip, fiddling with her skirt. Like him her clothing were not the usual among the Ra'Asha. Instead of a robe she had a red dress that sat tightly around her torso and then fell into a skirt that only looked snug. She was tempted, he could see it.  
“Which one?” she finally said.  
“You know what they say. If you are going to aim, aim high”, Asha nodded towards one man.  
“That's the king's son...”  
“But not his heir. He might ignore his daughter but she will still inherit his throne. I imagine she would be very pleased if someone humiliated her brother.”  
“Will you help me?”  
“Of course, but you should do the Weaving.”  
Janar nodded and with a slight gesture she bent reality. Asha gave her some of his power to allow her to fully work the weave. Both stifled a laugh as the prince began to yelp and cry out as the pain of the torment hit him instead of his targets. Adopting a bored expression he watched the royal fool make himself into a laughing stock. One of the Ja'are seemed to have caught on because he started pinching himself in particularly painful areas. Grim satisfaction on the grey face as the pinches caused unmanly cries to escape the prince. The weave would fade sooner or later but for now it held.  
Asha sipped his brandy again. Now this was entertainment. 

XXC 

Mashara was one of the biggest cities on the continent. All sorts of material flowed into the city and all sorts of products flowed out. The separation of those with money and those without was stark. Beyond craftsmen there were few jobs available that wasn't already done by the Ja'are. With laws that seemed intent on punishing those with nothing it was a pretty dirty place underneath the marble. Rajeed would have known. Part of the city Watch he would walk his beat in all kinds of weathers. Wilfully ignoring beggars and prostitutes in favour of hunting down murderers and robbers. Those committing violent crimes. A watchman's salary was low but it came with food and a bed.  
“Thief!” came a shout and looking around Rajeed saw someone carrying a Ja'are child, running. He took up the chase. They ran for two blocks before he managed to tackle the man to the ground. As the hood fell off the Watchman stared in shock at the ashen face. Anger was visible on the man's face and he held his arms protectively around the girl.  
“ _Khatc_! Human pig”, he hissed. “I will not let you make a slave of this girl.”  
And it was a girl. Maybe five years old. Her dark eyes far too old and she had bruises on her face, making the dark ash of her skin look silver. The blood on her legs was not from Rajeed tackled them. Feeling sick he let go of the man and the girl. Backing away. He knew that removing the Ja'are would likely cause chaos due to how integrated they were in human society. But this, this was horrible. Who could do such a thing?  
Far too many.  
“Go”, he told the man. “Take her away from here. That's all I can do.”  
Gingerly the man rose to his feet, studying the Watchman warily. Without a word he raised his hood and disappeared down the alley. His burden safely in his arms. Safe, for now.  
“That was brave”, came a voice. “Foolish perhaps. But brave.” Jumping Rajeed spun around and came face to face with a Ra'Asha. A tall man with pitch black hair and grey eyes. Instead of the typical robe he wore some kind of coat on top of black tunic and black trousers. His boots went to his calf. And he was casually leaning against the wall, arms crossed, studying the Watchman with open curiosity.  
“Sir”, Rajeed said nervously. “Do you intend to report me?”  
“Why? It has nothing to do with me. If you want to let a man and a child leave, that's up to you.”  
“They were Ja'are...”  
“I know. I saw them.”  
“You saw... then why did you let them go? You could have stopped them.”  
“Maybe for the same reason you did? I know you figured out what had been done to that girl”, the Ra'Asha came closer, crowding Rajeed against the wall. “Do you think she is the only one? Across all cities and towns of humanity? Isn't it funny. We have laws against laying with beasts yet no law against laying with a Ja'are child.”  
“I'm just trying to do my job, sir. Sometimes that means turning a blind eye.”  
“Of course. There are always reasons, isn't there. So many reasons. Be careful. Real monsters are the ones that look the most human.” Insultingly the man petted his cheek in a patronizing manner while grinning widely. “Fare you well, officer. Good luck keeping the... peace...”  
Wandering off the Ra'Asha didn't look back even once. Rajeed exhaled. All Light Weavers were dangerous but that man felt like a menace of a different kind. Sighing he finished his beat and returned to the Watch house. Someone had reported a slave girl stolen but not that a watchman had taken pursuit. It galled but the the Ra'Asha had been right. Animals had more rights than the Ja'are. Changing that would be impossible however. Especially for a simple cop trying to survive in a beautiful city with some deep shadows.

XXC 

He watched as his fellow acolyte stumbled towards the door. It was unlikely that the man would grace his bed again. Asha knew not a word would grace the other's lips about their encounter. Not after having spent weeks begging him for one night in his bed. To then say complain would be considered foolish by the rest. For some reason though, the refusal to say anything had led the Ra'Asha to assume his bed was a wonder.  
It was. For him. It was just so much fun making those arrogant twats squirm and beg. Writhing in pain. He never left marks. Oh no. But if you knew what you were doing you didn't have to. Still, he always tried to discourage anyone who wanted his bed. Making them even less likely to expose him, and enticing others to try their luck. Besides, he didn't just take his own pleasure but somehow they seemed more ashamed that they did find pleasure in the pain.   
Humans were an odd bunch. Asha stood from his bed and studied himself in the mirror. Except for a bit longer hair he looked the same as two years prior, when he became an acolyte. He had yet to be allowed on any missions and thus lacked the chance to prove himself.  
Well. If they didn't see a crisis for him to fix, he would just have to create one. Sooner or later, he would get what he wanted.

XXC 

They overwhelmed him. Five humans tackled him and held him down. Ithial growled and hissed at them. He had been so close. Snatching one more child from their filthy grasp. Unfortunately, they had caught on. Not one to give up he fought. Bucking, scratching, biting. If they wanted him, they would pay for it. Dearly. There was a reason why the Ja'are was used for heavy work.  
It was no use. Not against five others. Spitting blood he glared up at the Ra'Asha towering in front of him. A fat man in an ugly yellow robe. Waving his chubby fingers.  
“A wild one”, he noted. “You can try put him to work but he will be hard to break. Given his penchant for violence I recommend against the breeding pens.”  
“Khatk! Swine! Ghraggh! May the ants devour you!” Ithial’s head snapped as he was violently slapped.  
“Lord Rudagar, can you bind him?” one of the men said.   
“I can but it won't make him obedient. A wild one like this is usually of no use. Kill him or release him.”  
“My lord, he has stolen property! He has to work to make up for it.”  
The Ra'Asha glanced at the corpse of the young boy. To his credit he didn't look pleased with the mangled state of the body, nor the obvious signs of abuse. But despite all his power the man did nothing except shake his head and placed a binding in Ithial.  
“He won't be able to leave the city and I will be alerted of any violent outburst he makes”, this Rudagar said. “But I won't interfere if all he is doing is stopping you from using younglings for pleasure. That will be on you alone.”  
That didn't mean the men themselves couldn't punish him. Only that the Ra'Asha wouldn't. They would only act if they decided he was a danger to everyone. Snarling Ithial decided then and there that he would rather be executed than broken like a beast. Let them think him a danger. They would be right to do so.  
The binding didn't hurt but it was uncomfortable. Like someone was slowly constricting him. A grip too hard. Breathing became more laboured. No wonder those of his people often struggled when working. Being bonded literally meant their lungs couldn't get enough air. Coughing he still fought as they started to drag him away. He refused to give up. He refused!

XXC 

The merchant gave Asha a dubious look. “Your name is light? And you are a Ra'Asha?”  
“It is”, the young man said. “And I'm an acolyte still. If I'm lucky they might allow me off my mother's apron strings sometime in the next century or so.”  
Janar snorted. Her friend had a wicked sense of humour sometimes and had a few weird hobbies. It was his way with people that she enjoyed the most. He had the ability to run them in circles and they didn't even notice. Few did. She enjoyed seeing him engage with people this way. The merchant twitched a smile and shook his head.  
“Always the same old story with fat old men, isn't it. You do better than them and they still refuse to acknowledge you.”  
“Very true indeed”, Asha nodded sagely. “At least we are not women, who can be smarter than any man yet have to play dumb less they decide she is too smart for her own good. Isn't that so, dear Janar.”  
“Oh, I don't know. I think you can do the dumb part pretty well. Not so sure about the smart bit though.”  
He flashed her smile. It was sharp and full of appreciation. That was another aspect of her friend. If you were willing to bite back he took it with glee. Not as much as when you dished someone else but that was normal.   
“So, my good man”, Asha said to the merchant. “How did you overcome your hurdle of old men?”  
“Easy”, the man bragged. “I started trading behind my master’s back. Once I had a bigger profit than him, I simply bought him out. He was so stuck in his ways he never considered branching out. Me, I saw opportunity and I took it.”  
“Of course. You are a most accomplished man, I can easily tell. Why, you even have willowsroot. I admit I never thought I would see it away from my home.” Janar grinned as her friend sighed dramatically and picked up two uncut gems. Playing with them. “And these, such perfect specimens. Exactly what we have been looking for. Alas, the allowance given to a pair of acolytes is far too small. I fear we have no means of purchasing them at this price. No harm to you, good merchant. The fault lies with us. I apologise for taking up so much of your time.” Asha made to put the gems down when the merchant stopped him.   
“I think that maybe we can come to some agreement”, he said.  
Half an hour later they were admiring their new toys. Gems had no real use to a Light Weaver but they made for great entertainment. Hers was a roby and his were a sapphire. Later they would polish them and add them to their little collection.  
“I can't believe you managed to make him part with them for half the price”, she said.  
“Easy my dear. We had already established empathy in him by allowing him to recognise himself in people he view as better, the Ra'Asha. Then we listened to his story and complimented him. It made him want to help us and the loss of profit for a pair of uncut gems are not that high.”  
“It won't work twice though.”  
“On him? Probably not.”  
They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the sun. In the Palace of Light there were some who thought the two of them were lovers or at least shared a bed. That couldn't be further from the truth. For one thing, neither had ever slept with someone of the opposite sex. There was perhaps very few women willing to share another woman's bed, openly, but they existed. What Janar liked about Asha was that he respected her. To him it wasn't about her being a woman or not. It was all about talent and skill. About intelligence. That was all that mattered to him and when he had noticed her being ostracized because of her sex, he had started to help her. Best part of his help was that he didn't try to fight her battles for her. He just gave her a hand. That was all.  
If she was honest with herself, and she always tried to be, Asha could turn into the worst kind of monster and she would rather be on his side than on anyone else's. By the Light, he could be a mass murderer and she wouldn't care. And anyone who could inspire such loyalty had to be special. Truly special.  
“Do you think it might have merit?” he asked her.  
“To do what?”  
“Create a situation that allows us to prove our worth. We have been acolytes for nearly five years now. I only moved up because of master Catha and you only because he died. If we can show ourselves capable, they have to acknowledge us.”  
“And how are we supposed to do that?”  
“By engineering a situation of course.”  
“Asha... that could easily get out of hand... it would have to be something big enough to warrant our interference but small enough that we can get it back under our control. Not to mention, it would have to be something urgent enough that no one else can take care of it instead.”  
“Like letting loose a bunch of wild animals, some of which are smuggled, from their cages in the market?”  
She paused. Setting the animals loose would cause a lot of chaos. While being relatively harmless. There were definitely some dangerous animals as well. And they would be right there. Grinning Janar put away her ruby.  
“When do you want to start?”

XXC 

In hindsight she knew she should have realised things could go wrong. In her defence, who in their right mind tried to sell an Anvas'k'nivak? Dark Hounds were notorious even in their own territory of the Anvas forest. You lived along the edges at your own peril. No matter how fertile the dirt was. To bring one into a city. Especially one like Mashara with its sprawling streets and huge population. Even Ra'Asha had a hard time against them. Her Weaves had failed repeatedly, even if they slowed the beast down.  
But it was growing. The fear and lack of shadows made it larger and larger. Crushing stone under its heavy paws, snapping after people. This thing would likely have escaped sooner rather than later anyway. Maybe caused even more destruction Janar shuddered thinking about what kind of bait had been used to catch it in the first place. It wasn't pleasant.   
A sudden hush fell over the plaza. Frazzled she looked over the top of the overturned cart. On top of the stairs stood Asha. Eye to eye with the Dark Hound. Its emancipated body towering over the people. There were no fear in her friends posture. Instead he was grinning, holding out his arms as if daring the monster to attack. It didn't. Grin growing wider Asha stretched out one hand towards the Hound. Making a Weave.  
The howl of pain echoed through the city. Making everything shake violently. In the plaza the Anvas'k'nivak writhed in pain as it was crushed. Body compressing. Instead of blood darkness spilled from its body. It desperately pounced on its tormentor but Asha had the upper hand. Closing his Weave he caused the Hound to shatter. The darkness of its body hanging in the air until the Ra'Asha summoned it into a simple piece of stone. Containing it.  
As people fell to their knees and cried with joy Janar thought of the prophecy. Cheering took the place of fear as her thoughts rattled. People would fall to their knees and the Earth would shake.  
Asha had destroyed a Dark Hound. That was supposed to be impossible. Yet there he was, triumphant. Changing the world as they knew it.  
Her friend was a hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide Janar = JA-nar Rajeed = RAH-jzeed


	4. Within Darkness

Because of the resent incident he was sent to investigate Anvas forest, or as the locals called it – The Darkling woods. It was mostly an attempt from the masters to get him out of the way until the excitement had died down. From his fellow masters. They had no excuse to keep him from his right place anymore. He would be a full Ra'Asha soon enough.  
Anvas was a fairly small forest in comparison to some of the great woods. You could circle the it with a couple of days. Surrounding it were farms, taking advantage of the rich soil. A dangerous place to live but for the brave farmer it was rewarded. Every building was made of stone with stone roofs. The doors reinforced with metal and fitted with heavy locks. No farmer here had to fear his daughter sneaking out at night to visit the farmboy next door.  
Asha ignored all of them and headed straight for the woods. The trees were tall and trunks thick. Undergrowth was either struggling or clawing at the large vegetation. He broke through with some difficulty, it resisted his Weaving but once past the border there were more space between trees and the undergrowth wasn't as thick. Glancing over his shoulder he took note of the fact that the farms were mostly hidden from view. Good. Pulling out a small piece of stone he summoned the Dark Hound trapped inside.  
Back at the plaza he had destroyed its body and trapped its essence inside the piece of stone. He could have simply crushed the stone and ended the creature’s life but that would have been wasteful. Taking shape the Anvas'k'nivak growled at him.   
“I wouldn't do that if I were you”, Asha warned. “Or do you want to be crushed again?” It whimpered and settled. Good. Investigating the forest would be easier if he didn't have to bother with his safety. He wasn't scared, simply practical. There signs of other humans who had tried to make their way through the woods. His guess was bandits or smugglers. None of them had left. A bone here, a rusty sword there. The light was muted as if under a perpetual overcast.   
Nothing bothered him. The Hound at his side soon forgot its anger towards him when it discovered it could still kill but no longer had a body that could be killed in turn. Attacking anything that came to close to its master. Amused Asha pondered that he might as well give the creature a name. His thoughts were interrupted when he reached the middle of the forest. To his surprise there was a huge clearing. A spring ran along one side. The ground sturdy and not too many stones were buried.  
“If I ever want a secret lair, this would be it”, he told the Hound, thinking out loud. “We would have to do something about those pesky farmers of course. Don't you think so, Ves?” The Anvas'k'nivak gave him a confused look as if to say:  
“Are you talking to me?”  
“Mmm, I like the name Ves. Do you know what it means? It comes from kavesta. Meaning breaker. Ves alone becomes fang. Suits you.”  
Jumping a bit the Dark Hound, Ves, seemed to finally understand he had been given a name. Ves sprinted off and returned with a mouldy bone in his jaws. Dropping it at his master's feet, waiting expectantly.   
“Do you want to play fetch, boy?” Asha laughed and picked up the bone. From the looks of it, it had once belonged to a human. He didn't care. The Hound tore after it as he threw it across the clearing. “Good boy”, he told Ves when he returned. “I have a job for you. I need you to guard this place while I'm gone. Maybe finding yourself some friends, hmm? Unless they have been given leave to reach this place, by me, you are allowed to kill them.”  
Now that he had the Anvas'k'nivak’s loyalty he not only returned its body, he gave Ves some of the power gathered while in the city. Making the Hound much stronger and more intelligent than his brethren. Using a Weave he compressed the power into the smaller body, making it more explosive and useable. Before leaving he lowered himself on his knees and stared into the black pits called eyes.  
“Do not betray me, Ves”, he said. “It would be very unwise of you. Remain loyal and you will have so much fun.” Exiting the forest he knew without a doubt that the Dark Hound would remain loyal. Not unlike a dog who worshipped its master blindly.

XXC 

Pain. That was all he knew. Yet he kept fighting even as the whips rained on his back. Refusing to work, shielding a child, protecting an elderly. It was all the same to him. Stubbornly he clenched his jaw. They would not hear him cry. His own people was torn between being angry at him and feeling pity for him. Because he was still willing to fight back in every way he could.  
Panting Ithial struggled to stand. The binding making it neigh impossible to draw a deep breath. Good humans didn't exist. Of this he was sure and growing more certain about. Even those who showed kindness wanted something or turned their backs on the things they didn't want to see.   
He had tried to run away. More than once. It had failed. Every night someone tried to convince him that resisting this fate wasn't worth it. Sometimes he wanted to believe them but unlike them, he knew better. Knew the difference.  
Nearby he could hear someone cry. A woman. Begging them not to take her daughter. From the low thud she had been kicked. Feeble crying from a baby. She had gotten pregnant and had believed that the humans couldn't possible take her child. He knew better. The tiny baby girl would be taken to the breeding pens. Raised to believe her place to be that of a brood mare. Providing fresh slaves.  
Ithial had tried. He had done his best to help the poor woman to keep her baby. And he had failed. Rough hands pulled at him.  
“This one again”, a gruff voice said. “He is more trouble than he is worth!”  
“Sir, he is wild. With just some more training...”  
“Enough. Place him in the cage and bring him to the Palace of Light. Perhaps there they can do something about him. That or kill him.”  
No one protested when the humans dragged him away. Maybe they were afraid. Maybe they were happy to see him go. Either way, he doubted he would ever see sunlight again.

XXC 

Asha was finally one of the masters. A full-fledged Ra'Asha. It had taken the old men far too long to admit they had no excuse to hold him back. They were foolish, thinking there were something to lose by allowing the disciples to become acolytes and the acolytes masters. All they did was invite retaliation. Janar was still waiting. If they forced her to wait too long, she would turn on them.  
“What was that?” he asked a couple of acolytes as they passed. Something they had said caught his attention. They exchanged a look. Unlike the elders he wasn't disliked despite having been the only one to become full Ra'Asha in the last five years. Mostly because he didn't look down on them or tried to stop them from moving upward.  
“There is a Ja'are caged in one of the storage rooms, master Asha”, the blonde one said. Fashir? “At least, that's what the servants are saying.”  
“Apparently it is a wild one. Brought in because he couldn't be broken”, the brunet said. Tahir. An old... playmate. One who had discovered that pestering someone for some intimacy could backfire. Unsurprisingly he was a bit nervous around Asha.  
“A wild Ja'are in the Palace of Light? Are we truly stooping so low?” he didn't like slavery. There was something so messy about it. He was also curious. What would happen if the Ja'are manage to free themselves? Hmm...  
“It seems that way, master Asha”, Tahir muttered.  
“Which storage room is it being kept?”  
The dustiest and dirtiest it seemed. There were almost nothing there except the cage. Lighting the lantern Asha studied the creature inside. A man, cramped in a cage so small he couldn't even raise his head. As the light spread in the room he narrowed his eyes as if in pain. The ashen skin was badly bruised and very dirty. Only scraps of cloth still hung on the thin body. Grey eyes looked at him. There were still a fire burning in them. Diminished but a fire nonetheless. He sat down on the lowest step, just watching. Allowing the quiet to dominate.   
“What's your name?” he asked at last but only got a glare in response. Making him grin widely. A hot fire indeed. “What would you do if I freed you from this cage?”  
“What would it matter to you?” rasped the man. “Cage or no cage, to you I'm still a slave.”  
“Humour me.”  
“I would keep trying to help my people anyway I can. Even if it meant my death.”  
“Hmm...” Asha mused and bent closer to the cage, coming face to face with the Ja'are. “And what if I helped you free not only you, but your whole people?”  
“You...” the man stared at him in disbelief, sensing something in his voice. “Why would you do such a thing?”  
“Can you imagine the chaos?” he laughed. “The utter devastation. Wouldn't it be beautiful? I think it would be amazing.”  
“Who are you?”  
“My name is Asha.”  
“A misnomer if I have ever heard one _asha'di'shier_.”  
“Destroyer of Light? Interesting. Would you ally yourself with a destroyer if it meant freeing your people?”  
The Ja'are studied him silently. Searching for something. Then he nodded. With a wave Asha opened the cage and watched as the man struggled to get out of his confinement. Muscles cramped and hurting. He didn't offer to help.  
“Ithial”, the Ja'are said suddenly.   
“Pardon?”  
“My name is Ithial. You asked.”  
“That I did. Well then Ithial, let's get started by getting rid of that binding. It won't do us much to have you confined to the city.”  
“I thought a Ra'Asha couldn't undo the Weaving of another Ra'Asha.”  
Asha let his grin grow wider, crueller. “That's what they like to think”, he said, making the other shudder.

XXC 

There were no trusting humans but for now he didn't have much of a choice. Even if he choose to runaway it would be useless. What was the point of being free if he was alone? The amulet around his neck allowed him to pass for human and he could walk around freely. Making his way to the Darkling woods. Shuddering Ithial thought about the man who had freed him. There was something dark inside him. Coiled and ready to spring if released. Currently held in a tight leash.  
But, if he could help free the Ja'are from slavery he was willing to give it a pass. Rather a human that showed his true nature than one that pretended they were different. Asha had not promised him anything. Only offered a chance. In exchange? They let him take part in the following chaos. Truly, the man's name was a mockery of his true personality.   
Ithial used the darkness as a guise to slip past the farms and into the forest. It was slow going and even to his eyes the murkiness was absolute. Forcing him to rely on touch rather than sight. Finally he reached the clearing as he had been instructed. There was indeed an Anvas'k'nivak waiting. Drool dripping from its jaws. Time to see if the di'shier had been truthful.   
“Ves, heel”, he said and took off the amulet, holding it for the Hound to see. The beast trotted closer, sniffing the trinket. Then it whined and stretched. No longer interested in the Ja'are. So. That much had been true. Good. Looking around he found a hollow under a tree he could use while sleeping. In the morning he would investigate the forest further. See what was needed to build a secret fortress. He had no doubt they would come to need one.

XXC 

It took Asha longer than he would have liked to be able to leave Mashara. He didn't want to draw too much attention to himself. So far no one had noticed Ithial was gone. Maybe he had been left to starve to death. A waste. The Ja'are was far more intelligent than most humans, including the Ra'Asha. For one thing, he had seen Asha's true nature.  
Nevertheless he had finally been able to leave. Heading to Anvas forest. A pair of farmers saw him walk by towards the trees. Trying to to stop him. He ignored them. In the clearing Ithial was sitting in a makeshift shelter, petting Ves like the creature was truly a dog. The ashen man had a frustrated expression and glared down at some simple stone tools.   
“Impressive”, Asha noted and took the other poorly made stool. “I didn't think there would be furniture.”  
“Are you finished _di'shier_? Or do you have more jokes?”  
“Are you going to call me Destroyer from here on out?”  
“I certainly won't call you Light. And you are not my lord or master.”  
“Fair enough. I didn't expect a lot but... this is nothing.”  
Ithial scoffed and nudged one wobbly wall. “It's the humans. I can't get pass them.”  
“What about the amulet?”  
“It disguise me, yes, but I'm still drawing attention to myself. I assumed we didn't want that. This is not a place people travel to, _di'shier_.”  
The man had a point. Asha thought about it. He had considered from the very beginning that there might come a time when he needed to get rid of the farmers. If he wanted his fortress it had to be now. In a way that didn't make people suspicious while also discouraging others to take their place. Ves was trotting over with a bone in his mouth. Beside him Ithial wrinkled his nose.  
“I tried to make him go for sticks instead”, he said. “But the _esca_ don't get it. At least I taught him to bring me food.”  
“He is a Dark Hound. It is in his nature. And he and his pack will do perfectly.”  
“For what?”  
“Getting rid of the farmers.”  
“You mean kill them.”  
“Does that bother you?”  
“Why would it? I hate humans. Kill them if you want but won't that cause trouble? Trouble we don't want?”  
“They live by the Anvis forest. No one will suspect anything. Not when a pack of Anvas'k'nivak is involved.”  
“If you say so. Regarding the fortress. I had an idea.”  
Asha listened as Ithial spoke. Once more marvelling at the intelligence and brilliance. He wasn't a good man, he knew that. But freeing the Ja'are wouldn't just be about chaos, it would be about freeing a superior race and that was something he relished.

XXC 

It was the middle of the night. A full moon hang in the sky, bathing the world in white, cold light. The farmhouse was small and a couple of fields surrounded it. Like all houses in the area it was made of stone and the door was heavy. Asha studied the place. He felt no regrets about what he was about to do. In a matter of seconds he had unlocked the door and pushed it open. From the shadows of the forest emerged a pack of Dark Hounds. Ves in front.  
“Go get them, boy”, he murmured. “Have a snack.” As the Anvas'k'nivak sneaked in through the door he sat down on the low stone wall surrounding the sheep pen. Soon screams came from inside. The shouts of a man and the terrified cries of children blended with that of a woman. Growling and snarling started to cut them off. A moment later Ves dragged a small child in his jaws out if the house. Towards Asha. Showing his kill.  
“Good job, Ves”, he praised the Hound. “Go ahead.”  
Instead of watching the beasts feast he looked toward the barn. He could hear scraping and what he assumed were sheep noises. The barn door wasn't nearly as sturdy as the farmhouse's. Inside were a handful of sheep and a cow. They stared dumbly at him. It wasn't difficult to use the pack to herd the animals through the forest. Ithial blinked at the animals.   
“I thought we were targeting the humans?”  
“Oh, I did. But such a waste to leave the livestock. No harm in having some resources, now is it?”  
The Ja'are shrugged and muttered something in his own guttural language. A few more nights like this and soon people would start to abandon their farms. If not, well. The Dark Hounds were always hungry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide 
> 
> di'shier = DEE-shea-(r)


	5. The prophecy

A council of ten were gathered around a table. Their expressions ranging from grim to expectant. The matter of their meeting, a dusty old prophecy. Rudagar tried not to glare at the priests. They were the ones who seemed excited, and why wouldn't they be. Finally they had something that defended their position. The high priest, Calinder, was holding a piece of paper. A rare luxury. On it the prophecy in question had been jotted down for them to gawk at.  
“We can't ignore matter any longer”, the man said. “The prophecy is being fulfilled.”  
“You have said that before”, Elinar said, one if the older masters. “What makes you think this is different? That Asha is different?”  
“He vanquished an Anvas'k'nivak single-handed”, Calinder said. “What more do you need?”  
“Proof.”  
“What if you are ignoring the proof in favour of you own bias? I am well aware that you, all of you, hold a certain amount of resentment towards Asha. Which I honestly can't grasp. The boy is polite and quite humble.”  
“It is simple”, another priest said. “They are jealous. Envious. So much so that they rather see talent go to waste than celebrate it.”  
“Perhaps”, Rudagar said. “But so far he has done only one extraordinary thing. Earning his full rank. I was one of those who first found him and I have been cautious with his advancements. If it were talent alone he would have reached the rank of master as merely a child.”  
“Like Rudagar said, rank is about more than just talent”, Eshan said. “Asha might be quiet and polite but he has no trouble befriending troublemakers. There is simple nothing that says he is the one in the prophecy. If there really is a prophecy.”  
Wrong thing to say. There was a prophecy. The day it appeared had been described in historical documents. Other predictions had come true as well. It was very foolish to dismiss the Crystals. Unlike people they were still objects and therefore lacked human emotions.  
“What about this”, Terrin said. “We will wait. Keep our eyes, and our minds, open and see what happens. As Rudagar said. One occurrence isn't enough, a coincidence at best. But if they start to accumulate, then we can be certain.”  
“I agree”, Wyrén said. It was no secret that Terrin wanted to become the next grand master and since the two men were lovers, Wyrén supported the other. Regardless, it was a good compromise that all parties could agree upon. The likelihood of the prophecy coming true was very slim but it never hurt to be prepared.  
“I have another issue I want to discuss”, Rudagar said, adjusting his bulk. He knew he was fat and had long since given up on it. “I have come across evidence that Ja'are children are being used in an unsavoury way. If they are not straight up torn from their parents to be raised in the pens.”  
“And?” the high priest said.   
“I believe it is in our best interest to do something about it. Not only does it sets a dangerous precedent, it open up the risk of slave riots.”  
“Nonsense”, Calinder sniffed. “They are barely more than beasts. Who cares what happen to their young?”  
“They certainly do”, Elinar said gravely. “There are reasons why bestiality is forbidden. This is not that different. In fact... it is far more dangerous.”  
As always the priesthood refused to do anything about the slavery. The Temple had too many rich benefactors to risk offending them. At most they would give sermons about showing kindness before being cruel to their own slaves. Ra'Asha didn't keep slaves. It was only to protect the slaves from worse that they created bindings. A small mercy perhaps but a mercy nonetheless. Rudagar hoped they would not live to regret their inaction. 

XXC 

Three days were not a lot of time. He knew that. Knew it well. That didn't stop the impatience. There were progress, slow but there. Too slow. They couldn't do anything significant until the farms had emptied. One way or another. He wanted to rush in and save his people as soon as possible.   
“And how do you intend to do that?” di'shier asked him.  
“How...” Ithial stared blankly.   
“Yes. Your plan.”  
“I... that...”  
“You need a plan if you want to save them. What did you do before this?”  
“I would safe one or two at a time. Young ones. Getting them away before they could be bonded.”  
“Great. That's the first step then.”  
“It... is?”  
“Indeed. It means that there are already Ja'are out there that have been freed. Reach out to them, see if any of them want to join forces.”  
“I don't know if they want to join forces with a human...”  
“Fair enough. But I bet they would be willing to join forces with you.”  
Di'shier was often this way. Taking no offense at being called out for being a human. He just accepted it with some humour and moved on. Even seeming to think it was defensible. Despite having rescued Ithial from a slow death.  
“I will contact them. Then what.”  
“Then we fill our ranks. Who among the Ja'are do you think humans consider disposable?”  
“The women? Or perhaps the children?”  
The human grinned at him. “It is the men. Women produce more slaves and children can be taught to accept their position. Or that is what humans believe anyway. The men? They might be useful as a workforce but they are not worth a lot. Losing a couple has little to no impact on the owners.”  
“What do you want to say with this?”  
“I'm saying we should begin with buying your people. Give them their freedom that way. When we have enough on our side we can start using more... forceful methods.”  
“What about the bindings?”  
“The Ra’Asha is already reluctant be part of the slave trade. With enough incentive they will refuse to make them and likely to dissolve already existing ones.”  
“How? How will they do this? What incentive?”  
“By making them believe the binding is deadly.”  
“You... I'm trying to save my people. Not kill them!”  
“You are waging a war. Did you think there would be no sacrifices? Besides, not every death has to be real.”  
“Still...”  
“I won't force you but there is no way I can remove all bindings on my own. Until you have decided we can wait with Mashara.”  
“No...” he hated it. With passion. Yet. Di'shier had a point. In fact it was a good plan. Much better than anything he had thought of himself. “Just.. let me talk to them before you do anything.”  
“Of course. I never said I would kill them randomly.”  
“But you will kill them.”  
“Pretty words don't change reality.”  
And wasn't that the truth.

XXC 

By the time he returned to Mashara news of Anvas had already spread. Farmers had been killed and livestock had been taken. The forest had grown even more dangerous than before. Not everyone had left yet but at least on area was clear. Making it easier for the Ja'are to move. If the remaining farmers proved to stubborn he would have to deal with them himself. At the steps to the Palace of Light an old friend were waiting.  
“Janar”, he greeted. “Good to see you. How was your journey?”  
“My journey? What about your own?”  
“Educational. You are deflecting, my dear. Why?”  
She scoffed and adjusted her dress angrily. With a jerk of her head she guided him to her own quarters. Opening a bottle of wine they poured it between them.  
“It was a disaster”, she said. “I wasn't needed. In fact, my mere presence as Ra'Asha made things worse. Of course, they didn't understand that I'm not a master so they only saw a full-fledged Weaver.”  
“Hmm... odd that they would send you on a mission doomed to fail. Unless it was on purpose.” Janar paused with her glass raised to her lips.  
“On purpose?”  
“It would be easy enough for them to pretend that the mission failed because you are a woman. You know their foolish reluctance.”  
“You can say that twice”, she muttered, downing her wine. “I'm starting to have enough of those old men. But enough about me. I heard that farmers living near the Anvas forest had been attacked by beasts living in the woods.”  
“Yes, I have heard similar news and saw ruins of a farmstead myself.”  
“Didn't you investigate the forest? After the Dark Hound?”  
“I did. Those woods are quite dangerous. No matter the fertility of the soil, the dangers are not worth it.” Especially not now but she didn't have to know that. Not yet. The amazing part was Asha himself didn't have to do anything. Everyone else kept pushing her towards the edge, not realising how dangerous she could become.   
“I was called di'shier by someone recently”, he said with a smirk. “Interesting title, right?”  
“You were called Destroyer? What did you do? Walk through a pumpkin patch?”  
“Oh, not at all. In fact, I has just saved his life. Without my interference he would likely have starved to death. Here, within the Palace.”  
“You saved his life and he called you Destroyer? And why was he held here?”  
“Because he was Ja'are.”  
Janar gaped at him. Clearly waiting for a punchline but none came. Realising he was serious she sobered. The Ra'Asha was supposed to be opposed to the enslavement, not slowly kill a slave. Anything threatening this balance was dangerous.  
“Good thing that you helped him, then. Though maybe a knife to his heart would have been kinder...”  
“Janar, he is no longer in the city. I removed the binding. All he wants is his people's freedom and I think both of us can agree that his goal is noble.”  
“You removed... quite a wonder, aren't you, Asha. Let me guess. You want to help him.”  
“I do. We already have a plan. Unfortunately it will require some sacrifices on Ja'are’s part. He told me a little something about the binding that we can use to our advantage.”  
“Count me in.”  
He already had.

XXC 

“Master Rudagar”, the fat man paused before turning. He was always cautious when he was around Asha. The young man had a tendency to make you dance in circles.  
“Yes, Asha? And you don't need to call me ‘master’ anymore.”  
“Old habit”, the black-haired man said, shrugging. “Just like you still address me like one of the students. I have heard rumours there is a Ja'are held captive in the Palace.”  
“Don't speak nonsense”, Rudagar tried to ignore the rather accurate accusation of how he addressed the other. “We don't have slaves.”  
“That's why I said captive, not slave. He is supposedly held in one of the unused storage rooms. Maybe we should at least have a look?”  
Asha had a point and no matter how much it galled, he was now an equal. Admitting defeat he followed the young man through the halls down to a dingy storage. There he balked. Inside stood a cage, barely large enough for even a small animal. Yet inside the husk of a person slumped. Ashen skin acting as a cold witness. Despite the state of the body, he recognised the man. The wild Ja'are he had placed a binding on just a couple of months ago. How had he ended up here? And like this?  
“Looks like starvation or perhaps a lack of water killed him”, Asha noted, studying the body closer. “I believed it to be only a rumour... this is...”  
Bad. The Ra'Asha was against the enslavement of Ja'are. Stubbornly so. This could potentially undo everything. Why had he not felt anything? Was it because the man had died so quietly rather than violently? Or maybe the bindings were flawed...  
“Get rid of... this. I will consult the other masters. Someone had to have authorised this and we need to find out who.”  
“... you want me to get ‘rid off’ someone who technically died in our care?”  
“Do as I say, boy!”  
Asha rose to his feet and eyed Rudagar cold. Far colder in fact than the fat man had ever seen before. There were ice in the grey eyes.   
“You do well to remember I am no longer a student. Rudagar. My deference have been out of respect. Do not test it.” Swallowing the older man turned on his heels and made to hurry away when the other spoke again. “Interesting... did you know that the binding of Ja'are strangles them?”  
Rudagar fled.

XXC 

The air inside the pen was stale and smelled horrible. Naked Ja'are milled around or sat huddled. No one looked particularly happy. They could not even be called well-fed. Not skinny but certainly not like they had an abundance of food. There were no beds, just blankets on the floor. A hard stone floor. Cold now that winter was approaching. Stains marred every piece of fabric. There were no windows.   
With horror Janar realised that the few pens with any kind of view were only for show. Perhaps consisting of the handful of slaves who actually had a pretty good life. Allowing these people to choose would be a kindness. She knelt down in front of tired looking woman. For a distance she had seemed fit but up close it was obvious how abused her body was. The skin on her midsection was loose, marks from when it had stretched. Silver streaks across ashen skin that lacked all lustre. The woman was young. Barely thirty turns.  
“How many?” the Ra'Asha asked her. “How many children?”  
“Who counts?” the Ja'are sighed. “You just take them away the moment they are weaned. Filling me with another as soon as possible.”  
“But surely you must know...”  
“Do I? _Varina_ , I've spent more time pregnant than not since my first bleed.”  
Varina. Warden. The woman believed Janar was one of the custodians. She probably thought the questions were meant to be mocking.”  
“I'm not one of them. I'm a Ra'Asha”, as good as one anyone. Stupid old men. “I'm here to help.”  
“How? Are not your bindings enough? One step outside of this room and all I feel is pain. Go away.”  
“Di'shier.” It was a gamble but sometimes the ashen people seemed to carry knowledge between them that should have been impossible. Startling the woman now narrowed her eyes.  
“I've heard whispers... the cleaners. They mentioned one by that epithet. Saying he means to set us free by killing us.”  
“That's...”  
“Can he do it?”  
“What?”  
“With our sacrifice, can he free our people?”  
“If anyone can, he can.”  
“You realise, _Rahi_ , that a man known as Destroyer will never be known as a good man? You might feel regret over our deaths but I'm sure he won't.”  
Again the old tongue. Rahi, weaver. Ra'Asha was a combination of rahi and asha. It seemed her friend was right. The Ja'are was far more intelligent than anyone gave credit for. As for her words.  
“He doesn't have to be known as a good man”, Janar said stubbornly. “He doesn't even have to be a good person. All I need to know is that he has taken my side when no one else has.”  
“We are similar then”, the woman coughed a laugh. “The Ja'are don't need a good man. We need an ally. Someone willing to go any length necessary. Including killing us.”  
“You are very calm about this...”  
“This is the only choice I've ever had in my life.”  
“It won't be quick. And I doubt it will be pleasant.”  
“No matter what it is like it can't be worse than I've already experienced. At least at the end of this, I won't have to feel anymore.”  
Janar nodded and started her weaving, finding the binding and set it slowly tighten. Suffocating its victim. Because she could stand the idea of this woman hurting she made another weave that took away all pain. It was still there but she didn't have to feel it. Dark eyes widened as the Ja'are woman was released from years of pain.  
“Athal”, she said.  
“What?”  
“My name. Athal.”  
“Janar.”  
It should have been sad but somehow Janar left feeling triumphant instead. She had seen the same in the eyes of each the people in that room. All had agreed to this course of action. Because to them it was all part of a battle they might finally win. And if it failed, at least their own suffering were over.  
It wouldn't fail. Asha would do the impossible and help these people. She had been honest back then. No matter what he did or would become, she would stand with him. Maybe the world would even deserve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide 
> 
> Elinar = Elinaar 
> 
> Calinder = CaHlinder 
> 
> Eshan = e-SHAN 
> 
> Terrin = TeH-ren 
> 
> Wyrén = WY-rén 
> 
> Varina = Vah-reena 
> 
> Rahi = RAH-hi 
> 
> Athal = AH-thàl


	6. Shattering

It was a fairly small town, located on the top of a low mountain. Low houses dotted the few streets. There were fields. Instead the people in the town herded animals. Or rather, they made their Ja'are slaves do it. There not many and almost all of them men. The few women were made to do different work. One would think they would garner sympathy from the wives but it was obvious they resented them instead.  
Asha and Ithial had entered the city separately. Visitors were not entirely unheard of, only a bit unusual this close to winter. His father wasn't the only one who believed travel during winter brought bad luck. His ally was wearing the amulet, passing for human. In this skin the platinum blonde hair didn't create the same contrast. Even if the people of the town refused to sell their slaves it would be easy enough to free them anyway.  
“What is one of you kind doing here?” the village elder demanded, glaring at Asha.  
“There is an issue I was sent to investigate”, he told the man calmly. “There have been reports of smaller towns like this mistreating the Ja'are and breed them without permission.”  
“Mistreatment?”  
“Yes, for example, using them as prostitutes or causing undue death. You have to understand that we Ra'Asha do not approve of the practice of keeping slaves. Since we can't do anything about it we at least advocate for a good treatment.”  
“Well, there is nothing to see here!”  
“I'm not so sure about that. After all, I've already...” he paused when a small tremor shook the house. The area was not one known for earthquakes. “Does that happen often?”  
“A few times every day. It used to be less common but you can't control the world.”  
“No? Guess I've been hallucinating then.” Another tremor vibrated. He needed to investigate this. “Now, excuse me while I finish my inspection.”

XXC 

Di'shier was making the other humans nervous. The frowning and displeased expressions causing them to fret. Already Ithial had manage to make deals for half of the present Ja'are. Every time the Ra'Asha looked unhappy they added another one. As if they hoped he would be held responsible instead of them. He was holding out, though. Trying to be patient. If he seemed eager the humans might suspect something.   
“I need to get a proper look at them”, he said. “If I let you lot choose I will get the lame and sick.”  
“We can show you...” one rodent looking man said.  
“I want to look at them alone. Only way to get a real look.” They agreed reluctantly, apparently used to this behaviour. Truly, Ithial would not have been able to do this on his own. He was shown to a small house with smoke rising from the chimney. Apparently all slaves had been given the day off. Probably to appease the Light Weaver in their midst. The moment the door closed to the dark interior he received a bunch of glares.  
“ _Khatc_ ”, one man hissed. “We are not merchandise.”  
“Krei...” a woman cautioned. “Be careful.”  
“Ease, _jerska_. I'm not who I seem.” With the gesture di'shier had shown him he removed the disguise. “I'm here to help. The payment is the humans. Once we are out, you will be free.”  
“What of the Ra'Asha”, the same woman said. “He will try to stop you.”  
“Or make things better here”, a young man said. The other shook their heads, knowing chances for change were slim.  
“He is here to help”, Ithial said. “He is on our side. I won't pretend he is a good man, he is terrifying. But he is the only ally we got. I won't be able to get everyone out like this but I need to know which ones I should prioritize.”  
“The young ones”, the man from before said immediately. “And as many women as possible. I've had enough of watching these pigs force themselves on my wife!”  
“Krei... at least they've let us keep our children. In the cities... they would be taken.”  
“And here they are still born into slavery. Our daughter was murdered!”  
Before Ithial could jump back into the conversation a knock came on the door. Quickly he disguised himself again and called out.  
“Master Asha wants everyone to gather in the town square”, a youth with bad teeth said. “Said it was important.”  
“By everyone he means...”  
“Including the Ja'are.”  
Di'shier was not one to change plans based on a whim. Whatever this was, it had to be serious. They all hurried to the middle of the town. Tremors kept coursing through the ground. Growing stronger. That was likely the issue in question. In the square the Ra'Asha stood calmly as if the chaos didn't bother him at all. It probably didn't. The black and blue clothing made him quite an intimidating figure.  
“Master Asha”, the rodent like human called. “What is happening?”  
“You have by chance built your little town on top of a living creature that has been asleep for hundreds of years. And now you need to evacuate because the creature is waking up.” As if to prove his words the ground started shaking violently, tilting, and large cracks appeared underneath their feet.  
“What creature is this?” the village elder yelled as the townsfolk started to flee. Di'shier looked at the elderly man calmly.  
“A stone giant.”

XXC 

It was pretty impressive to watch. Slowly yet steadily the stone giant moved. The ground shook. People stared in horror as their home came to life. Creaking and cracking stone echoed as the giant sat up and stretched. A huge stone hand smashed the town in a lazy scratch. Pausing the giant studied the remnants of the houses before shrugging. Humans were fleas to a being this big. Moss and patches of grass were also being brushed off the granite body.  
“Why are you just watching?” the village elder yelled at him. “Do something!”  
“I am.”  
“What?!”  
“Admiring.” This stunned the elderly man. “There is no fighting a creature of this size. Nor do I have a reason to. You were the ones who built your little town on him, killing him for that… would be rather selfish, now wouldn’t it.”  
“But… but… you are a weaver of Light!”  
“Yes? Ah… could it be that you are assuming that because the stone giant isn’t human it is somehow evil? It is not. It just is.”  
“But…”  
“Hmm… that could certainly explain why you have no issue with enslaving the Ja’are. If you believe they are evil or would turn evil without human interference, that would make you the good guys.” Asha scanned the plain and hid a smile when he noticed that Ithial had left. Taking his people with him. Using the confusion to his advantage.  
“Are you trying to say that the Ja’are is somehow equal to humans?” the village elder said.  
“Oh no. I’m saying they are superior.” This time he did grin as the people stared at him in horror. “That’s the pettiness of humans isn’t it. They are superior to us, and as such you decide to debase them for your own benefit. Now. Are you going to stand there watching or are you going to try to find a new place to live?”  
“Where can we go?” a woman asked. “We lived in that town for generations. Few ever left…”  
“I happen to know a place about a day’s travel from here. It is near a river so the stone giant won’t bother going in that direction.”  
He pushed them pretty hard. Never letting them rest for long and gave energy to the young and elderly when they faltered. During the night he remained awake, making certain no one tried to sneak away. It wouldn’t do if they noticed the absence of the Ja’are too soon. Because his actions seemed benevolent none of them stopped to think. Personally he would have loved more time to study the giant and might even return to see if he could speak to it. The quaking ground made the towns people rather nervous though. Finally they reached the river. It was honestly a good spot. A far better place to live than the stone giant’s stomach. A forest with large trees and good, fertile soil and a river full of fish. One of the men turned around, obviously about to give an order when he realised it.  
“Where are the Ja’are?” he said.  
“Oh dear”, Asha said. “Did you lose them?”  
“You didn’t bind them?” the village elder yelled. The old man was starting to get on his nerves. Much more and he would dispose of the old fool.  
“Bindings can only be tied to a location, leaving them there would have been the same as killing them. If they took the opportunity to leave, good for them.”  
“But how will the houses be built? Or the fields, how will we care for them?”  
“I guess you have to learn to do it on your own, don’t you”, he gave them a nasty smile. “It is rather pathetic how useless you all are without your slaves. Look at it from the bright side, you can no longer make the Ja’are women your prostitutes. I bet your wives will be very happy about that.”  
“We can buy new ones”, the old fool muttered.  
“After you lost every single one you had? Not likely. It is time that we humans stop acting like spoilt children and learn to do things for ourselves.”  
“You are one to speak! You Ra’Asha are binding them all the time!”  
“Hmm. True, but the intentions are good. There has never been a slave in the Palace of Light. What we can not do ourselves we have human servants do. You can’t even do such a simple thing as fetch water from a river.”  
As he walked away the village elder started raging and screaming at his back. Shouting the most vitriol things while sounding almost unhinged. It was with no regrets that he slowly crushed the man’s heart. Hearing the rage turn into desperate please for help and cries in pain. No one else tried to make him return to help the fool. Maybe they to had had enough of the man. Or perhaps they were simply in too much of a shock to register what was happening. Either was a possibility.

XXC

It took some reassurance to convince his kinsmen that it would be safe to enter the Darkling woods. Finally they followed him. Deciding that the potential of death was better than more enslavement. By now there was a small camp in the clearing. A few of those Ithial had saved before had heeded his call and joined him. Most had chosen to remain hidden and he couldn’t blame them. As they entered the clearing Ves came running, barking loudly. For a murderous monster the creature often reminded him off a dog. Its loyalty was to Di’shier but it did like Ithial as well. Behind a couple small children began to cry in fright. Seeing as the _anvas’k’nivak_ had killed before their fear was justified.  
“Ves, down”, he demanded and the Hound whimpered, lowering its head. “You master should be here in a few days.”  
“Its master?” Krei asked. “It has one?”  
“It does, the Ra’Asha somehow tamed this beast. I told you, he is a terrifying man but he is an ally. So far he hasn’t let me down.”  
“If he has tamed this thing, he is a terrifying man indeed. Good. We might need such man on our side.”  
It was a large clearing and after Ithial had been able to obtain some tools he had started to take down some trees. Both for building materials and to make the clearing even larger. His idea of a fortress hinged on the fact that it could be hidden using Weaving. Make potential future enemies underestimate them. His kinfolk wasn’t very impressed with his progress so far.  
“That”, one named Thari said, “is the saddest thing I have ever seen.” He was looking at a poor attempt at making a hut. Even the ground intended for the fortress made him shake his head.  
“I know I’m not much of a builder. I never had to learn and the others lived their lives in Mashara.”  
“Good thing we are here then. We will have to begin with the foundation, preparing the ground and make it strong. It will take time but I guess we don’t have anything else to do.”  
“What about food?” one of the women asked. Shandra, Krei’s wife. Ithial pointed towards the makeshift pens.  
“We have animals and the abandoned fields surrounding the forest still yields harvest.”  
“Why were they abandoned?”  
“Because the ones who lived on the farms are either dead or have fled”, came a by now familiar voice. Di’shier entered the clearing with his usual easy walk, the one that silently demanded attention. He had a scrape across one cheek and his hair was out of place. “Turns out that stone giants are not much for small talk. But I think we manage to come to an agreement.”  
Walking past the stunned Ja’are he paused to pet Ves before facing the still unprepared ground. Glancing at the poor hut he seemed deep in thought. Then he started making gestures with his hands. Weaving Light. Before their eyes the ground changed. Levelled out. Grass and dirt withdrew. Stone rose from the depth and created a smooth plinth. It was huge. Not yet finished Di’shier Weaved again and the plinth rose higher, the outlines took shape and became a low wall. In four directions stairs formed to the plinth. More stairs had risen inside, leading up from the space created. A second sets of walls formed at the base of the four outside stairs. Lowering his hands the human looked at his work and nodded, clearly pleased. With nothing more than some gestures he had created the foundation and lower level of the future fortress.  
Then the ground shook and above the stone giant from before loomed. Carefully it lowered its hand into the clearing, setting down large stone blocks cut in squares and rectangles. This was repeated two times before the giant lumbered away again. Its footsteps fading.  
Krei swallowed loudly and turned to Ithial. “That man is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen!” he said. “Are you sure he is our ally?”  
“He is a cruel man”, Ithial replied, being completely. “Selfish and take pleasure in the suffering of others. However, he sees no use in tormenting those who already suffer or are already damaged. His joy comes from tormenting those who have the most to lose, who has never tasted suffering before. He is our ally.”  
“But why?”  
“It is fun”, Di’shier said appearing beside them. “Watching people scramble in panic because they have become so useless, it is hilarious. Also, the Ja’are is clearly superior to humans. It would be a shame if you were forced to remain slaves to an inferior race.”  
“You would promise not to turn on us?” the former slave demanded.  
“Why would I promise that? Either you trust me or you don’t. That’s up to you and won’t change no matter what promise I would make.”  
“Give me one reason we should trust you!”  
“Hmm… no. I think not. After all, I’m still human. You shouldn’t trust me.”  
Ithial knew that statement in and of itself would make his people more willing to actually trust the man. Any attempt at reassuring them or any promises made would only make them suspicious. And he knew the Ra’Asha well enough by now to know that the human was well aware of this as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide 
> 
> Krei = KREH-i 
> 
> Thari =TAH-ri 
> 
> Shandra = Shan-Dra


	7. Hands that give

Despite the bright winter sun outside the room was cast almost entirely in darkness. Along one side of a table the five oldest masters were facing him. Not particularly worried Asha just waited.  
“We have received word that you saved a small mountain village from a ferocious stone giant”, Eshan said. Really? That was the story? Interesting. “However, it doesn't explain what you were doing there.”  
“I believe that is not any of your business”, Asha replied, resting his hands in his smaller back.  
“This attitude of your is unacceptable. You had no mission to that area, why where you there?”  
“I am not a student. I'm not an acolyte and I'm certainly not a disciple. As a matter of fact, I have the same rank as all of you. So far I have been different in respect of your longer experience but I won't allow you to treat me like you are my superiors. You are not.”  
Terrin and Wyrén got to their feet, glaring at him. Clearing his throat Rudagar drew the attention.   
“He does have a point. We accepted him as one of us and until we have appointed a grand master we are all equal.”  
“I think he should be tried by the Pool of Light again”, Wyrén said. “If he fails he will be demoted back to acolyte.”  
“I can do that”, Asha said. “On the condition that every other full Ra'Asha does the same with the same consequences. If I pass, however, you will not only never hold this kind of hearing again. You will also start to properly test the remaining acolytes. I'm the only one in five years who have been raised to master.”  
“You...” Terrin began.  
“You are all under this delusion that you will lose your own power by accepting others in your rank. Either that or you have become corrupted. More concerned with your own position than the good of Ra'Asha. The good of humanity.”  
He turned and marched straight out. Ignoring the shouts that followed him. Outside a young acolyte was waiting. The moment the man saw Asha he began with the puppy eyes. Nothing new. This particular young man had been following him around for a while, quietly trying to convince the other to bed him. Seeing this young fool now did nothing to curb Asha's dark temper.  
“You don't want to share my bed”, he told the fool. “If you do, you will know pain.”  
“I can handle it?”  
“Really? You can handle excruciating pain? While at the same time be coaxed into pleasure, leaving your body at odds with itself.” The man licked his lips. Then he nodded. So be it then. He had been warned. Maybe it would help sooth Asha's vile mood.

XXC 

Rubbing his sore wrists Igrei limped away from Asha's rooms. He had assumed the man exaggerated, he hadn't. If anything he had downplayed the intensity of the whole thing. Igrei was hurting all over. Only the angry red marks left by the ropes spoke of what just had happened. The worst thing, he had been warned. Had been told to leave it be. Asha himself had warned him what awaited and he had ignored it.  
It was also quite surprising that someone who was usually so mild-mannered enjoyed causing pain. Oh, Igrei had heard about this indulgence before. Usually people like that simply needed an outlet and considering how the other masters acted... well, Asha obviously needed an outlet for his frustration. And it had not been all bad. He was simply in not any, any, rush to share the other man's bed again.  
Passing a few fellow acolytes he nodded, his throat raw from screaming. One of them, Edrin, noticed his raw wrists and winced. Unconsciously touching his own wrists. He stopped for only a few moments and murmured.  
“Asha? He does that. You learn the hard way to stay away from his bed. I hope he find a match one day.” He then hurried to catch up with the others. Igrei mulled over this. Quite a few had been drawn to the charismatic Light Weaver over the last couple years. No one ever returned for a second time, they were never pursued either. Edrin was right. You learnt the hard way.  
In his opinion Asha was still a good man. He just had some... odd interests but who didn't. It simply made him more human. Less... perfect. Still. He rubbed his wrists again, trying to Weave some healing, he rather not the be the subject of those interests again.

XXC 

The fortress was coming along nicely. With the foundation in place it was quick work. It helped that they had huge blocks of stone ready. From time to time, usually around twilight, the stone giant would return with more blocks for them to use. Often Ithial would wonder about the exact agreement made between the giant and Di'shier. Either way, things were going smoothly. He had been on a few more trips, posing as a merchant and simply bought his people freedom.  
It was visible in the clearing that the camp now included people who knew how to work. Not only were there men and women working on the fortress, there were proper pens for the animals. A small barn was being erected to one side. So far, he was the only one with an amulet and as such, the only one able to move around freely.  
Ves and his pack had started to befriend the Ja'are in return for scraps. While they could easily hunt for themselves they were lazy enough to try begging for food instead. Not unlike actual dogs. It was no surprise that Di'shier came to visit a couple of weeks later. He usually tried to come by with regularity.   
“I'm impressed”, he said, sounding genuine. “But why do you have a throne? I doubt the king will come visit.”  
“It is for you, Di'shier”, Krei said. The human turned and raised an eyebrow.  
“I'm not a king. And you have made abundantly clear I'm not your lord.”  
“Well, things change”, the big Ja'are said with a shrug. “You have done more for us than any human in hundreds of years. Please, try it.”  
The man studied them before nodding. With confident steps he walked up to the oversized chair and sat down. Throwing one leg over the other while leaning back. Hands on the armrests. A shiver went through the Ja'are. Like that, he looked like a conqueror. A king. And not the kind that was satisfied with quiet whimpering and false loyalties. At the same he felt like the kind of man you wanted to swear loyalty to.  
“From your expressions I guess the impression is pretty imposing. You all have done a great job”, Di'shier said. “On another note, I have a few things for you.”  
One of those things were more money. Enough to pay for both freeing more slaves and buying supplies. The other thing was amulets. Several of them. Those could be passed around and be used by different people. In return they didn't make the disguises quite as complete as Ithial's one did. As the human inspected the inside of the fortress, smoothing the stone as he went, he asked what the Ja'are wanted to prioritise in Mashara.  
“The bindings are slow by necessity but there might be other things I can see to in the meanwhile.”  
“The children”, Ithial said immediately. “The children being used. If they can be protected...”  
“Hmm... I know Rudagar spoke up against it... It is quite possible that the Ra'Asha might be convinced to do something about this problem. I might even have an idea.”

XXC 

The others were clearly uncomfortable. This was not an easy subject to discuss even when things were less tense. Asha glanced at Verid, the man had been an acolyte only one week ago. After years and years being held back he was finally a master. And this subject was one that was close to his heart. Once he heard what it was about he had been firmly on Asha's side.  
“It would work”, he said stubbornly. “We can't let them keep hurting young children!”  
“And once they realise what is happening the Ja'are children will be slaughtered”, Rudagar said sadly. “We would condemn them.”  
“Which is why”, Asha said softly, “we will place the Weave on all children. Not just the Ja'are. People willing to commit such an act won't discriminate between humans and Ja'are “  
The plan was fairly simple. They would place a Weave on all children. If anyone did something untoward against a child, any child, they would break out in horrible blisters. Not immediately but soon enough. Once the men and their families came asking for help, the truth would be relieved. Most people thought such abuse of a child, regardless of race, to be despicable.   
“We should do it!” Verid insisted. “Let's do something good for once!”  
They didn't like that, Asha could see that much. Old men. Set in their ways. Well, he knew how to handle that.  
“If we don't see to these issues we might have a riot on our hands”, he said softly. “Or, if it goes far enough, the Ja'are might resort to infanticide. Thinking death to be a kinder faith. Already they have to be forced into breeding because they are reluctant to have children.”  
Elinar coughed. Shifting uncomfortably. Ra'Asha took a stance against slavery based on the idea that it went against the Light. Even though the Temple of Light themselves had slaves. It was a strong resolution dating back centuries. That didn't mean they were eager to place their necks on the line. Talking, yes. Making empty gestures, always. Actually taking action? Not so much. Which was why Asha had taken care to corner them. One of the tandems of the Weavers were the sanctum of life. Maybe most of them had a pretty loose view on the sanctum but they were forced to at least pretend. By bringing up infanticide as a possibility he forced them into action. It seemed Rudagar had made the same conclusion. He gave the young man a tired glare and said:  
“All in favour?” Every hand was raised. “We have an agreement.”  
Excellent. 

XXC 

It didn't take very long for the curse to work its magic. Not that most of them called it a curse. The master just called it a Weave. A precaution. Janar called it justice. She and Asha had worked together, moving through the slave quarters. Along the way they had recruited more of the Ja'are to their cause. Either freeing them from a binding or have them agree to a sacrifice. A surprising number was willing to die if it meant freedom for the rest. Soon the first victims would become known. One way or another.  
A week was all it took before the first men showed symptoms. Slowly spreading, ugly, purple blisters that would first manifest in the neither regions before spreading to the hands and then the face. Asha had decided to make rounds among those he and Janar had placed the Weave on. Naturally, she came along. On purpose they avoided the Ja'are as it were unlikely they would hurt one of their own. In most families nothing had happened. Then they reached the home of a wealthy merchant. He had three children of his own and three slaves. All three of the slaves were children as well.  
On his face and hands stood the ugly warts, already turning into painful blisters. His wife was of course rather worried about him. Janar could see the pained and empty eyes of the children. All six of them. The youngest were perhaps four winters and was the couple's own child. A despicable man.  
“Oh, thank the Light!” the wife exclaimed. “I took him to the Temple but they couldn't help him. Maybe you can? What is this?”  
“Something quite troubling, my good woman”, Asha said smoothly. “I fear I forgot to tell you the purpose of our visit the other day.”  
“The purpose...”  
“We don't make random visits, good lady. No, we have been placing a protective Weave on the city's children. Protecting them against predators. Since we know how difficult such is to prove we chose a... more direct method. Any man, or woman, who does something untoward against a child will suffer the exact symptoms seen in your husband.”  
“But... that's...” While the wife looked bewildered the husband was starting to pale. He glanced at the youths, swallowing hard. She caught the look at became horrified. “You didn't... you didn't!”  
“Dear... this is nonsense... you know me!”  
“Do I?” the woman shrieked. “Oh, by the Light! All those Ja'are children... all this time I thought we did something good for them and you... you...”  
Janar felt no sympathy for her. She had not yet realised her own children were victims as well. Ever the sly one Asha broke in with quite the offer.  
“Do you want me to wipe your children's memories as well?” he asked. “I can't imagine living with their father's actions. We should also call the Watch.” His satisfied glint as the merchant's wife lost it was nearly as scary as the utter horrified and livid expression of the wife. Her friend was an odd one. A bit terrifying and very sharp. She was fine with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation guide 
> 
> Edrin = EH-rin 
> 
> Verid = VE-rid


	8. Update

I wouldn't normally do this but here I go.

I will be taking a pause from this story because I've got stuck with how to continue. In time I do intend to return to it. To the ones who have read this far, thank you. Until I can continue I will likely return to the Marvel fandom. I have a few stories I planned out before I started to write this one.

That's it. That's all. This "chapter" will be deleted once I start to update the story again.


End file.
